Marin Small Business Development Center

(𝘚𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘑𝘶𝘯𝘦 10𝘵𝘩, 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸)

The U.S. Small Business Administration is hosting a nationwide, $𝟭 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 to celebrate the innovation and ambition on Main Street that has fueled American ingenuity for 250 years.

The competition is open to small businesses from all sectors who have used certain SBA capital products, and who are shaping the future of their industry with innovation and sound business practices and fundamentals, so long as they meet the terms of the competition as specified below.

Through the competition, businesses have a chance to:
• Compete in a $1 million cash prize pool.
• Be a major part of the Freedom 250 initiatives and celebrations in Washington, D.C

The top Ten Finalists will be announced on July 9th at the “Great American State Fair” in Washington D.C.

If you know of businesses that meet these criteria, we want to hear their pitch.

• Gross revenue: $100k+ annually
• Experience: 3+ years in business
• Impact: Leveraging new tech or strategies
• SBA support: Must have benefited from SBA capital (excluding COVID-19 EIDL or SBA Disaster loans)Ownership: 100% U.S. owned

Businesses can check their eligibility and 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝘆 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟭𝟬: https://www.sba.gov/freedom250

In today's digital world, video content is one of the most effective ways to capture attention, connect with your audience, and drive results.

Whether you're promoting your products, services, or brand story, this workshop will give you the tools and confidence to create videos that draw in your target customers.

Join us on May 12 12:00 pm — 1:30 pm

Register at: https://www.marinsbdc.org/event/video3/

Beyond Basic Prompts: Get Better Results from AI Tools

This workshop is happening on May 7th from 12 pm - 1:30 pm, and is designed to help you move beyond the basics and start using AI more effectively in your business.

We'll look at how better prompt structure, context, and refinement can help you produce clearer, more useful outputs that give you the results you want.

You'll begin to see how AI can support your thinking, planning, and marketing—almost like having an extra team member to help you work through ideas.

Register here: https://www.marinsbdc.org/event/ai4/

TOMORROW: Join us for Networking Strategies Every Small Business Needs

Thursday, April 30th from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm.

There will be food and drinks from Lucky Cat and Pastry by Rosie to help us celebrate Small Business Week.

Bring your business cards & a spirit to meet new people.

This interactive, in-person facilitated networking workshop, you'll connect with other local entrepreneurs and small business owners and uncover opportunities to grow your networking skills.

You'll have the chance to practice proven techniques and tips and leave with new connections.

Plus, more people will know about you and your business.

Facilitators:
> Kim Stahley, Director of People and Programs, Novato Chamber of Commerce

> Ed Troxell, SBDC Advisor & Founder, Ed Troxell Creative

Register now: https://www.marinsbdc.org/event/novato5/

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This event is a partnership among the City of Novato, the Novato Chamber, the Downtown Novato Business Association and Marin SBDC.

Networking Strategies Every Small Business Needs

Join us on April 30th from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm.

In this interactive, in-person facilitated networking workshop, you'll connect with other local entrepreneurs and small business owners and uncover opportunities to grow your networking skills.

You'll have the chance to practice proven techniques and tips and leave with new connections. Plus, more people will know about you and your business.

There will be food and drinks from Lucky Cat and Pastry by Rosie to help us celebrate Small Business Week.

Bring your business cards & a spirit to meet new people.

Facilitators:
> Kim Stahley, Director of People and Programs, Novato Chamber of Commerce

> Ed Troxell, SBDC Advisor & Founder, Ed Troxell Creative

Register now: https://www.marinsbdc.org/event/novato5/

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This event is a partnership among the City of Novato, the Novato Chamber, the Downtown Novato Business Association and Marin SBDC.

Join us this week, on Apr 22, from 12:00 pm — 1:30 pm & learn How to Optimize Your Shopify & Increase Profits.

This workshop is designed to move you past the setup phase and into high-level optimization.

We'll look at how to refine your Shopify store to optimize your operations and profits.

Register here: https://www.marinsbdc.org/event/shopify1/

Optimize Your Shopify & Increase Profits

Join us on Apr 22, from 12:00 pm — 1:30 pm.

This workshop is designed to move you past the setup phase and into high-level optimization.

We'll look at how to refine your Shopify store to optimize your operations and profits.

Register here: https://www.marinsbdc.org/event/shopify1/